The present invention relates to container lids and, in particular, it concerns a container lid having an integral pump feature.
It is known to provide container lids configured to pump gases, usually air, into a container in order to pressurize the interior volume. It is also know to provide container lids configured to pump gases out of the interior volume of a container in order to create at least a partial vacuum within the interior volume.
Within the category of lids configured to pressurize the interior volume of the container the pump inset of U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,372 to Levine, provides a pump adapted for insertion between a cap and a carbonated-beverage bottle for re-pressurizing the interior of the bottle with air. The pump is comprised of a hollow, resilient, expandable and compressible body that is placed into the region between the cap and the bottle, and is operated by an up-down motion initiate by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,165 discloses an apparatus for sealing and pressurizing a bottle. The cap section of the device forms a chamber adapted to receive at least a portion of external threads of the bottle in order to detachably mount the apparatus on the bottle. An annular compressing plate is mounted in the cap section so as to be movable upwardly or downwardly therein. This compressing plate is non-rotatable relative to the cap section. A resilient, expandable and compressible bellows is located above the compressing plate and around the cap section. There is an exterior cover member that has a cylindrical side wall with interior threads in operative engagement with the edge of the plate. Rotation of the cover member to a sufficient extent causes the bellows to be compressed by upward movement of the plate. Therefore, the pressure generated by this device is limited to the amount of pressure generated by a single compression of the bellows.
Within the category of lids configured to create a vacuum within the interior volume of the container, several bottle cap devices are know that are configured for use in conjunction with a separate pump such that once the vacuum is created, the pump is disconnected from the cap. These devices suffer from the need to store the pump while not in used and prevent loss of the pump during such storage. Further, some of the dump mechanisms for devices of this type are expensive electrical devices that are inappropriate for consumers with a small number of containers requiring vacuum sealing.
One attempt to provide a bottle cap with an integral vacuum pump is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,321 to Wang. Wang's cap includes a piston style pump, the cylinder of which is deployed inside of the container on which the cap is deployed. A handle is formed on the exposed end of the piston, and the pump is operated by a push-pull motion. One drawback to this style of pump is the length of piston stroke necessary for efficient pumping. Therefore, the cylinder extends relatively far into the container, or in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,900 to Huang, the pump extends above the bottle.
It is noteworthy that the above referenced devices do not suggest that the device is easily convertible to perform the opposite function. That is, that a lid designed to pressurize the interior of the container may be easily converted so as to create vacuum, and vise versa.
There is therefore a need for a container lid assembly with an integral pump, in which the reciprocating linear motion of the piston is actuated by rotational movement of a pump actuating element. It would beneficial if the lid could be alternatively configurable so as to pressurized the interior of the container, or create at least a partial vacuum within the interior of the container.